Donald R Ort is the Robert Emerson Professor of Plant Biology and Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois. His B.S. degree is in biology/chemistry from Wake Forest University and he earned his Ph.D. in plant biochemistry from Michigan State University. He served as President of the American Society of Plant Biology, President of the International Society of Photosynthesis Research and as Editor-in-Chief of Plant Physiology. He is an ASPB Kettering Award recipient, ASPB Charles Barnes Award recipient, ASPB Fellow, AAAS Fellow, ARS Science Hall of Fame, 2016-22 ISI Highly Cited Author and Member of the National Academy of Sciences. He is a Theme Leader in the Institute for Genomic Biology, Chief Science Officer for the DOE Center for Advanced Bioenergy & Bioproducts Innovation and Deputy Director of the Gates Foundation RIPE program at the University of Illinois. His laboratory is engaged in three lines of research: i) Redesigning photosynthesis for improved efficiency; ii) Molecular and biochemical basis of environmental interactions with crop plants; iii) Ecological genomics: interactive effects of CO2, temperature and drought on plant, plant canopy and plant ecosystem performance.